Mold Busters: How Dehumidifiers Keep Your Basement Scare-Free

Your basement may not have a haunted history, but that doesn’t mean it’s ghoul-proof. Mold is one of the biggest and baddest basement menaces, leading many basement owners to wonder: where does it come from, where does it grow, and how can they stop it? The secret weapon against this basement invader? A dehumidifier. This moisture-busting device regulates basement humidity by taking in excess moisture to mitigate the risk of mold while keeping the air at safe humidity levels.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the common causes of mold, how dehumidifiers work to combat mold, and which dehumidifier we recommend to keep your basement dry, beautiful, and healthy year-round.

Mold Monsters

Mold is one of the most common basement problems and is always waiting in the shadows for the right moment to strike. Thankfully, it’s also one of the easiest to identify and bust. Some causes of mold include flood damage (whether from rain, burst pipes, or floods), unvented dryers, and condensation buildup.

Flood Damage: You don’t need a full-blown disaster to have flood-like damage in your basement. Commonevents such as burst pipes, rain seepage, and other water intrusions can make a significant impact on your basement and create the ideal environment for mold growth.

Unvented Dryers: Everyone does laundry – at least, they should. After washing clothes and throwing them in the dryer, where does that humidity go? Ideally it goes out of the basement (or home), but clogged vent pipes can cause that humid air to be trapped in lint build up and laundry vents, leading to excess humidity levels and, you guessed it, mold.

Condensation Buildup: Condensation might not seem scary at first, but when warm, humid air meets cool surfaces, those water droplets are like a calling card for mold. It’s a challenge as old as time—like trying to stop a ghost from floating through walls—but luckily, it’s something a dehumidifier can help with.

Dehumidifiers: The Ghostbusters for Moisture

Picture this: a magical device you plug in and forget about, but it quietly works in the background, pulling moisture from the air and keeping your basement from turning into a spooky underworld. A dehumidifier is exactly that—moisture’s worst nightmare.

How it Works: There are two kinds of dehumidifiers, refrigeration and desiccant. Both kinds take in moist air, remove the moisture, and release the resulting dry air.

Refrigeration dehumidifiers work by passing air from the room over a cold coil, resulting in condensation inside of the device, which then drips into a water bucket or a drain.

Desiccant dehumidifiers move air over a wheel coated in desiccants, or water absorbing materials, which is then dried by warm air passing over it.

Different dehumidifier setups exhaust the captured water in different ways. Some deposit it into a reservoir that requires the owner to occasionally empty it, while others dispense the water into a drain under the unit or outdoors through a drain hose.

How it Helps: By turning humidity into solid water, the dehumidifier is removing it from the air where it can slowly cause issues. It also turns the water into a solid, making it tangible for removal. Having less humidity in the air and an easy way to remove the water makes it significantly easier for homeowners to get rid of basement moisture for good.

Impact on Mold: A dehumidifier won’t undo existing mold problems (you’ll need some strong cleaning tools, or a cleaning crew, for that), but it will make sure mold won’t reoccur. Keep an eye on some of the problem locations to see the impact the dehumidifier has on the basement.

Our Recommendation

Our go-to for basement dehumidifiers is the AprilAire E100. We love this unit for a couple reasons, top of which is ease of use.

High Capacity: The E100 removes up to 100 pints of moisture (12.5 gallons) per day. This is, thankfully, a very uncommon amount of moisture that only the wetests of basements achieve. For a particularly wet basement, it may remove this much moisture at the start, but once it is running regularly, it will be collected smaller amounts per day since there will be less moisture to remove.

Eco-Friendly: We also like this unit because it is recognized as ENERGY STAR® Most Efficient. Owners can set humidity limits and program the E100 to only come on when its built-in humidity sensors detect high humidity levels, ensuring it doesn’t run the energy bill higher than it needs to be.

Set it and Forget It: Earlier in the blog, we mentioned that owners should be checking on their dehumidifiers occasionally. With the E100, owners can spend less time worrying and more time loving their basement again. The automatic dehumidification sensors ensure it turns on if the basement is damp, plus it has multiple options for water management, neither requiring a water tray, ensuring a maintenance-free experience.

Here’s a treat: Through October 31^st, 2024, save 15% on the AprilAire E100 and installation, exclusively through Rescon Basement Solutions. We’re here to help you love your basement again by keeping it dry, beautiful, and healthy, starting with a dehumidifier.

Banish the Mold Monsters for Good

Keeping your basement dry and mold-free doesn’t have to feel like a haunted endeavor. With the right dehumidifier, you can banish moisture and prevent mold from creeping in, ensuring your space stays cozy and inviting all year long. Don’t let mold monsters spook you—take control of your basement and enjoy peace of mind knowing you’ve got the best tools for the job.